Gemstone: A mineral that is hard and colorful and has an extraordinary shiny luster Ore: A type of rock that has a metal or a mineral that is economically useful Smelting: The development which ore is liquefied to split the useful metal from other elements Alloy: A hard-core solid mixture of two or more metals Strip mining: Earthmoving equipment scrapes away from soil to expose ore Open Pit Mining: Miners use giant earthmoving equipment to dig a tremendous pit Shaft Mines: often has a network of tunnels that extend deep into the ground, following the veins
Outline
The Uses of Minerals
*Minerals have been used for many different purposes
*Gemstones
*Gemstones are valued for thier beauty, rarity, luster and durability
*Gems are cut and polished gemstones
*Metals
*Metals can be flattened into a sheet, streched to make wires, and hammered or molded without breaking apart
*Most items we use today are made of metal
*Other Useful Minerals
*People use minerals in about everything from fertilizer, foods, medicine, and buildings
*Talc is used for talcum powder
*Fluorite is used in aluminun and steel
*Calcite is used for microscopes
*Quartz is used in watches, glass, and electrical equipment
*Kaolin is used in pottery
*Gypsum is used in cement, wallboards, and stucco
*Corundum is used in polishing and cleaning products
*Ores
*A mineral has to be seperated from its ore before we can use it
*Prospecting
*Prospectors look for ores by examining the surroundings
*They observe all the rocks on the surface
*They examine plants growing there
*They test the water (if there is a body of water) for certain chemicals
*Mining
*There are three different types of mines: strip mines, open pit mines, and shaft mines
*Strip mining is done by using earth moving equipment to scrape away the soil to reveal ores
*Open Pit Mining is done by digging a deep pit to remove the ores
*Shaft Mining is done underground
*Mining for metals and minerals harm the earth
*pollution by waste materials pollute the water
*digging open the earth leaves scars
*Mine operaters have to replace the soil and change everything back to normal
*Smelting
*After miners remove the ore from a mine, they smelt the ore to remove the metal inside
*Smelting seperates the useful part of the metal from the rest of the ore
*First, you mix the ore with other materials (coke and limestone) and then heat the mixture to a hot temperature
*Next, the heat causes the metal to leave the oxegen which is the reason it is combined with the other rocks
*Since the added materials create slag, you remove the slag and molten metal through tabs
*One will carry the slag
*The other one carries the molten metal
Table of Contents
Chapter 4.3
Vocabulary
Gemstone: A mineral that is hard and colorful and has an extraordinary shiny luster
Ore: A type of rock that has a metal or a mineral that is economically useful
Smelting: The development which ore is liquefied to split the useful metal from other elements
Alloy: A hard-core solid mixture of two or more metals
Strip mining: Earthmoving equipment scrapes away from soil to expose ore
Open Pit Mining: Miners use giant earthmoving equipment to dig a tremendous pit
Shaft Mines: often has a network of tunnels that extend deep into the ground, following the veins
Outline
- The Uses of Minerals
*Minerals have been used for many different purposes*Gemstones
*Gemstones are valued for thier beauty, rarity, luster and durability
*Gems are cut and polished gemstones
*Metals
*Metals can be flattened into a sheet, streched to make wires, and hammered or molded without breaking apart
*Most items we use today are made of metal
*Other Useful Minerals
*People use minerals in about everything from fertilizer, foods, medicine, and buildings
*Talc is used for talcum powder
*Fluorite is used in aluminun and steel
*Calcite is used for microscopes
*Quartz is used in watches, glass, and electrical equipment
*Kaolin is used in pottery
*Gypsum is used in cement, wallboards, and stucco
*Corundum is used in polishing and cleaning products
*Ores
*A mineral has to be seperated from its ore before we can use it
*Prospecting
*Prospectors look for ores by examining the surroundings
*They observe all the rocks on the surface
*They examine plants growing there
*They test the water (if there is a body of water) for certain chemicals
*Mining
*There are three different types of mines: strip mines, open pit mines, and shaft mines
*Strip mining is done by using earth moving equipment to scrape away the soil to reveal ores
*Open Pit Mining is done by digging a deep pit to remove the ores
*Shaft Mining is done underground
*Mining for metals and minerals harm the earth
*pollution by waste materials pollute the water
*digging open the earth leaves scars
*Mine operaters have to replace the soil and change everything back to normal
*Smelting
*After miners remove the ore from a mine, they smelt the ore to remove the metal inside
*Smelting seperates the useful part of the metal from the rest of the ore
*First, you mix the ore with other materials (coke and limestone) and then heat the mixture to a hot temperature
*Next, the heat causes the metal to leave the oxegen which is the reason it is combined with the other rocks
*Since the added materials create slag, you remove the slag and molten metal through tabs
*One will carry the slag
*The other one carries the molten metal